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The works of Sobha Singh, who painted beauty and the goodness of life, have a unique place in the art heritage of Punjab, writes
S. S. Bhatti
Creativity springs from an inner compulsion, is sustained by an inner conviction, and eventually rewarded by an inner satisfaction. Inner conviction for life is not possible without ultimate convictions. Even the sceptic is convinced that everything is doubtful. Sobha Singh, whose 110th birth anniversary fell on November 29, was one of those rare artists whose work finds its wholesome embodiment in the stated philosophy. He lived the life of a recluse, unperturbed by the hue and cry of modern times: a true artist in his thought, word, and deed. Profundity of creativity made him a philosopher; aesthetic charm transformed him into a saint; and dexterity shaped him into a painter. Sobha Singh had deep convictions. He was convinced that painting the martyrdom of Sikhs in their struggle against Mughal rulers was not his cup of tea. He believed that such paintings would never allow people to forget tyranny and hatred, because blood can never be washed with blood. Visual reminders of wars and religious intolerance make people hate each other. But the paintings of the apostles of peace bridge cleavages among human beings. Peace and tranquillity as painting theme has an inner luminescence that is comparable to a lighted candle. Although it spreads its glow over a limited area yet its reality assumes a unique significance. Driven by this ethic of work, Sobha Singh continued to paint beauty and the goodness of life — which, he wryly observed, are getting rarer day by day. He modified the concept of
Satyam, Shivam Sundaram to Sundaram, Shivam, Satyam (Beauty, Goodness and Truth), in that order, to proclaim his art philosophy. With a certificate in art and craft from the Industrial School in Amritsar, he joined the Indian Army as a draughtsman in 1919, and spent four years in Baghdad, where he studied books on European painting and also got inspiration from the works of amateur English painters. Four years later, he established his studio and continued to paint throughout his life.
Sobha Singh worked with undiminished zest to leave his footprints on the sands of time. His creativity had sprung like Gangotri from the rocky bosom of the Himalayas to flow forever as the Holy Ganga. Only in his case, the obdurate mountain was the relentless resistance of his father, Sardar Deva Singh, who was a stern cavalry officer. The army man harboured a puzzled concern for the future of his frail-looking son, who he found to be so exceptionally headstrong as to successfully resist all his attempts to discipline him. His unyielding stubbornness angered his father, for “while horses would obey him and would stop, gallop or jump at his command, his son would not obey his orders and continued to spoil the walls of his ancestral house with his scribbles.” But Sobha Singh’s everlasting creativity was destined to be nurtured by another form of discipline: self-culture, inspired ethics, methodical working, and perseverant endeavour. The founder chairman of the Punjab Arts Council, Dr M. S. Randhawa, had recorded this incident: “Fed up with the rebukes of his father, Sobha Singh felt life was not worth living and decided to die. He learnt that a woman neighbour, who had contracted chill, had died of pneumonia. He felt that perhaps it was the easiest way to end his life. He ran towards the Beas, jumped over sand dunes, and when he started perspiring, he plunged into a creek. He did not catch chill but felt ravenously hungry. He gorged himself with singharas, which grew in the creek. He soon realised that life was a precious gift of God and deserved to be preserved and lived.” And thereafter, Sobha Singh lived a life exquisitely beautified by art. He made it a sacred offering to Guru Nanak Dev, whose iconographic portraits he painted with utmost devotion to spread divine light everywhere. Guru Nanak in the aashirwad pose is perhaps Sobha Singh’s most popular painting of founder of the Sikh Faith, and can be seen in many Sikh homes in India and abroad. His meditations on Guru Nanak produced many paintings of the world prophet. These paintings have become the hallmarks of religious art. Sobha Singh’s oeuvre constitutes the richest legacy of Sikh art. It is a living testimony to his creative imagination, contemplative portrayal of subject matter that photography may never be able to capture, and consummate craftsmanship comparable with that of the master painters of the West. He skilfully captured different subjects in varied rasas of ancient India’s aesthetic theory. He has aptly painted Guru Nanak in shanta rasa and Guru Gobind Singh in veera rasa. As a commercial artist, he was a great success and painted some outstanding posters for the Indian Railways and the Post & Telegraph Department. These posters are icons of healthy creativity, free from the virus of maverick marketing from which modern applied art irremediably suffers. His Sohni Mahiwal is a masterpiece among paintings of Punjab’s timeless love legends. People’s spiritual perception of Guru Nanak’s divinity has been shaped by his creative imagination. His work has a unique place in the art heritage of Punjab. It is, therefore, important to have a book written on Sobha Singh. We need to go beyond ritual felicitations to measure up to his giant stature for celebrating his awesome oeuvre in a befitting manner. To sum up in this Urdu quatrain: Tehseen-i-husn dhaal kar uftaad-i-tab’a mein Kasb-i-musawwari ko ‘ibaadat bana diya Ik sant-phalsaphi ka karishma to dekhiye Daar-i-hawas-o-hirs ko jannat bana diya (He turned adoration of beauty into the habit of mind And transformed the art of painting into worship, likewise look at the miracle performed by this saint-philosopher He shaped the world of lust ’n’ greed into paradise)
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